All things bright and beautiful: (2019) 9 days in Hawaii --- Day 7 (Sunday) Hanauma Bay and Manoa Falls, Oahu

For those keen on getting close to nature, there are abundance choices of superb places to visit on Oahu. Only spending four days on the island, we were somewhat ambitious in our plan, covering two of the most popular attractions in one day --- Hanauma Bay on the South-eastern coast followed by the Manoa Falls. A check on bus routes and times reassured us that the plan was perfectly feasible.

Sea and land --- Hanauma Bay and Manoa Falls

Information on what bus(es) to take to the major attractions on Oahu is generally provided in tourist guide books, such as our favourite Lonely Planet. In our case, Bus #22 would take us right to Hanauma Bay Nature Preserve from just across the street from our hotel in Waikiki. We almost did not need to keep watch on where to get off the bus, as we could have just followed the many fellow passengers heading to the same destination.

Hanauma Bay itself was picture-perfect. The turquoise sea water in the ring-shaped bay was just as it appeared on postcards. The distinctive patches of darker green as seen in the photos below are the coral reefs which, together with the rich marine life in the ecosystem, make the bay a favourite location for snorkelling.

Hanauma Bay

Hanauma Bay

Getting to Manoa Valley from Hanauma Bay involved changing buses a couple of times --- Hanauma Bay, Bus #22 🠆 Waikiki, Bus #13 🠆 Ala Moana Center, Bus #5 🠆 Manoa Valley. We bought some sandwiches from a convenience store in Waikiki, as a light lunch while waiting for the bus to Ala Moana Center. Fortunately these buses were fairly frequent, so it wasn't a very long wait.

The entrance to the Manoa Falls Trail was a short walk from where we got off the bus. On that Sunday afternoon, the trail wasn't particularly busy with visitors. But the presence of visitors of all ages suggested that the trail wasn't too testing to hike. The trail took us through a beautiful lush rainforest. With the tall trees and vegetation all around, the air was very refreshing, especially for us city-dwellers . Parts of the ground were damp and fairly muddy, as one would expect in a tropical rainforest. The half-an-hour hike to the Falls proved not to be too strenuous, though one did need to watch one's steps on some slippery rocks.

Manoa Falls trail

First sight of the Manoa Falls on the trail

Manoa Falls

The return journey back to Waikiki was fairly easy: Manoa Valley, Bus #5 🠆 near downtown Honolulu, Bus # 2 🠆 Waikiki. We got off the bus on Kuhio Ave. in Waikiki, though some distance from our hotel, so as to let us explore the district on foot. Searching for a place for dinner, we tried out a pleasant-looking restaurant called PAIA Waikiki Seafood. The meal --- sauteed Opah, seafood pasta, green salad --- turned out to be very good value for money.

Many shops in this tourist district were still open after dinner. We picked up some gifts for family and friends at a souvenir store at King's Village Shopping Center.